KT and I departing Taupō, for Auckland.

Thank you for all your well wishes, and messages.

Relaxed breakfast view in Bali. \240

Monkey Forest

Cooking class was a wonderful experience. (And yummy food)

Biking through the rice fields.

Stunning vistas.

Thousands of scooters!

Temple visits!

It was such an amazing experience. \240

Then on to Dubai, to have an entirely different sensory experience. \240

La Perla extravaganza show of lighting effects, water and acrobatics. \240

Complete with 50 foot real waterfalls!

Huge puppets, and props.

Burg Khalifa, the worlds tallest building.

View from floor 124!

And another! \240The Dubai Mall is a shopping experience on steroids! \240

And then onto Amsterdam!

Our last day was spent in Leiden, with friends Sam and Tim. \240Spent the morning at a market, eating and enjoying each other’s company.

Historic places at every turn.

We went to this amazing science museum in a the afternoon. \240Completely captivated by this paper masche, formed in the late 1700’s - 1800.

Forceps from the same era!

Not much has changed!

3. \240There are bikes everywhere! \240Apparently 1.8 million in Amsterdam alone ( according to canal boat driver)

It’s called park and ride!

4. \240Tulips abound. \240But not as many fields as depicted due to the falling economic need for flowers. \240However we went to the gobsmackingly beautiul Keukenhof gardens.

5. \240There is a huge population smoking! \240Both cigarettes and wacky backy! \240Koffee shops don’t necessarily serve coffee!

Each round of cheese being auctioned off.

KT deciding what to try next!

And some more bikes. \240They come in all types. \240This one is a mums commuter bike. \240Out popped 4 preschoolers!

Narrow streets full of history. \240Climbed up into this windmill, which still operates grinding flour!

Another house with water views!

Arches everywhere, with hidden beauty.

Amazingly old buildings at every turn!

Churches and cathedrals that have stood the test of time. \240A place to quietly reflect, and to be thankful.

2. \240You need a car to explore the region! \240 Fortunately our amazing Airbnb host had a contact!

3. \240Very humbling to visit the many World War 1 sites. \240So graphic to visualise thousands of graves. \240“Lest We Forget”

Row upon row

In honour of those on horseback.

In Flanders Field the poppies blow, between the crosses, row upon row.......

3. \240When in Belgium.......try a Belgium Waffle!

Such delight!

So yummy!

4. \240Belgium is also built on water, like The Netherlands.

Another canal trip to look at the stunning architecture and beauty of these old beauties! \240

If ever you have the opportunity to travel to Europe, don’t forget this charming, historic place.

A brief history, if you are not familiar with the story.

The walls around the town.

Kevin standing close to the wall to give some scale!

A great experience to again honour some of our kiwi heroes.

Needs no explanation!

Notre Dame! \240One week post the fire.

A Parisian lunch!

Kevin getting to grips with eating escargot!

Stunning views!

Our room was up in the attic! \240The Germans took this home from its owners and used it for themselves during WW2.

Our adventures in this region took us to castles and ancient forts. \240One underground.

A fort in Laon, with existing walls from the 13th century!

Another aspect.

This is part of a fort. \240Also from the 13th century!

And then it goes underground. \240A maze of tunnels.

And of course we have to eat! \240The supermarkets have an array of foods that is extraordinary.

Fresh fish!

And bigger fresh fish!

This is just the champagne aisle!

We still aren’t sure what this dead animal is/was!

We had the privilege and experience of staying at an amazing Airbnb. \240 Situated in a rural village, on about 20 acres, complete with its own 13th century castle!

This castle is one of 370 castles/manor houses. \240Derelict inside, which seems a shame. \240But hideously expensive to make liveable.

Our room was upstairs in the renovated stables. \240Downstairs was a common room for breakfast with other guests.

These professional musicians serenaded us all at breakfast.

Spending our days exploring castles and gardens.

Note to all travellers to France.... they close up at 1200 until 1400 for lunch! \240 This includes tourist spots, information sites, banks and shops! \240So plan your day well. \240

Cormantin castle and gardens.

The working portager. \240 Some ideas to keep the newly retired husband busy!!

View from the peasants kitchen!

Stunning from every vista.

So from visiting one castle, to staying in a genuine castle, courtesy of Airbnb. \240It didn’t disappoint. \240Complete with a drawbridge over the moat!

Views of our upstairs bedroom!

Breakfast served in our room, on a silver platter! \240We truly felt spoilt and special by our hosts!

The waterfront! \240Some very nice boats!

Stunning sculptures.

And beautiful cathedrals.

And on to Nice. \240We spent our first day going on to Monaco, just because we could. \240Wow!

Super wealth! \240Super yachts! \240Super everything!

Just your average meeting place!

An amazing aquarium! \240Well worth the visit!

We were planning on seeing more of Nice, the next morning. \240However, it was May Day, complete with “yellow shirts” protesting outside our hotel. \240Fortunately moved on in time to catch our train to Pisa, Italy.

Despite my super vigilant husband, one of our bags was stolen off the train. \240It was above us in the rack! \240 We lost a phone, computer, all our documents. \240A lesson learnt, hold on to everything, all the time! \240 Not a great welcome to Italy!

The Poliza were a comedic routine! \240I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn’t get the giggles- it was a hilarious routine!

Pisa was stunning!

Best to visit at night! \240No tourists!

Quite beautiful!

So our Italian adventures begin! \240More to come!

Marseille harbour.

Stunning sculptures are everywhere!

The view from the cathedral overlooking the city and surrounding water.

Inside! \240Such beauty and opulence. \240I personally struggle with the overwhelming beauty and wealth of the church, overlooking the poverty of its citizens.

We then traveled to Nice. \240On arriving we checked in to our hotel and made a quick visit to Monaco!

Wealth was everywhere!

Checked out some super yachts!

And visited a stunning aquarium. \240Apparently the prince has a passion for the environmental protection of the oceans. \240

And then on to Italy. \240Not a great start, as one of our bags was stolen from right above us on the train. \240Lesson to be learned - vigilance is not enough, you need to chain everything down! \240

Labyrinth’s of a multitude of alleyways every where!

A few statues!

Amazing food and wine! \240This was room service at the “Luxury Escape” we stayed at! \240It was snowing outside, so we stayed inside!

Snow on the nearby hills!

The following day, bright sunshine on our day trip to Cinque Terre.

Houses built out of and into rock faces!

Architecture of old to appreciate at every turn!

Literally built into a hillside village

Expand the picture, and in the middle you can see a church! \240The nuns of the day must have been incredibly fit! \240It took a bit of grunt to make my way up!

Unfortunately my Fitbit was flat so no steps calculated!

View from half way up

And the beautiful chapel. \240So worth the climb.

Next stop the Verdon Gorge!

A wee bit terrifying as the road was so narrow, with a massive drop, and fast cars coming the opposite direction!

Doesn’t quite show how dramatic! \240But you can pick out the road.

I never had appreciated the diversity of landscapes France has to show off.

And a long way down!

Rome! \240Stunning architecture at every turn!

Statues! \240 Some beautiful, some grotesque!

The colosseum! \240

Trevi Fountain

So then we went to visit the pope, with thousands and thousands of others (in the rain)! \240It seems that he wasn’t in, as he didn’t come out to say hi!

We walked to the Vatican City, the museum, St Peters, and the Sistine Chapel. \240Can’t say I enjoyed the experience. \240Herded like cattle, and overwhelming wealth and artefacts, with little reference to the poor and needy.

However, I did have a laugh when I saw this pin up calendar of some of the “brothers”!!

Like I said earlier, some grotesque statues! \240Looks like a creepy family photo!!

Naked men everywhere!

And then onto Olympia, Greece. \240This is the spot where they light the Olympic torch! \240These ruins date back to Roman times - 5th century BC.

Mix of old and new!

Mykonos! \240 Stunning in white.

Athens.

The Acropolis! Mind blowing. Athens was otherwise disappointing; dirty, depressed, graffiti on every surface, and a general sense of a city not coping!

And a quick tour of Dubrovnik!

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

A peep of the city, from the city walls!

And on to Venice!

Another stunning experience!

So our time in Italy comes to an end! \240Italy is as beautiful and amazing as I always expected. \240A sensory overload of food, wine, art, music, museum’s and architecture. \240The people are wonderful, albeit dreadful drivers! \240We had some hair raising experiences of idiotic nut jobs speeding and overtaking on blind corners, parking or stopping wherever! \240But somehow it works!

My favourite places were Lucca, and Venice. \240And although not in Italy, Dubrovnik. \240We have eaten well, walked an average of 15km a day, taken hundreds of photos, drunk a lot of wine, enjoyed each other’s company, and look forward to coming home to see what the next stage in our lives bring.

My final reflection is: no matter where in the world we come from, or go to, mankind (womankind) is the same. \240We all breathe the same, we all long to be loved, to have purpose and have family around us. \240Let us all love those around us well xx

Most photographed site at Auckland Airport!

After spending time with very dear friends- we are reminded afresh, that we all need to seize the day- none of us get out of life alive! \240Exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to travel! \240Here’s to new experiences, new friends, new memories 😘